CARI – Child Abduction Recovery Internationalhttps://childabductionrecovery.wordpress.com
We recover abducted children around the world, bringing your children home safely and quicklyThu, 15 Feb 2018 13:40:04 +0000enhourly1http://wordpress.com/https://s2.wp.com/i/buttonw-com.pngCARI – Child Abduction Recovery Internationalhttps://childabductionrecovery.wordpress.com
The Hague Convention cannot be invoked….. Article 12 tested again!https://childabductionrecovery.wordpress.com/2018/02/15/the-hague-convention-cannot-be-invoked-article-12-tested-again/
https://childabductionrecovery.wordpress.com/2018/02/15/the-hague-convention-cannot-be-invoked-article-12-tested-again/#respondThu, 15 Feb 2018 12:26:34 +0000http://childabductionrecovery.wordpress.com/2018/02/15/the-hague-convention-cannot-be-invoked-article-12-tested-again/Read More]]>CARI – Child Abduction Recovery International has dealt with several cases over the years where left behind parents have exhausted all avenues within their home courts, the abductors courts and invoking the Hague Convention to no avail. In the majority of cases this is due to Article 12 coming into play and being enforced.

To summarise Article 12 if the convention finds a child has been wrongfully removed or retained an order shall be issued to return the child to the habitual country unless more than 12 months has passed and it can be proven the child has settled into their new environment.

In May 2015 a father agreed to his wife taking their children to the UK from Australia for an 8 week holiday. The mother then extended the stay to 12 months with the consent of the father. Unbeknown to the father the mother used this time to apply for work, place her child in school and set about seeking british citizenship for the children. Despite the father pressing her for a return date the mother remained vague about when until June 2016 when she stated that she was remaining in the UK permanently.

The father immediately took legal action by making an application under the Abduction Convention. As well as the father seeking return of the children to Australia it was also argued when the mother had made the decision not to return. Although she had notified the father in June 2016 her actions told a different story. The judge found in favour of the mother stating the children’s habitual residence was now in the UK and therefore could not be returned to Australia.

Upon appeal the decision was overturned deeming the father could return the children to Australia as they determined there was a legal principle of “anticipatory retention”

The case has now reached the Supreme Court and the issue of “anticipatory retention” is being argued. This is a prime example of the flaws of the Abduction Convention. Too many times we see parents being granted the ruling those children who have resided in the destination country for more than 12 months being granted habitual residence there and left behind parents feeling that all avenues exhausted.

This case is pushing the Abduction Convention to its limit with the examination of wrongful retention. If the mother flew to the UK for a holiday and then promptly set about enrolling her child into preschool and seeking citizenship for her children long before informing the father isn’t that planning retention? Retention is proven when the travelling parent unilaterally makes the decision for the child ultimately expunging the parental rights of the left behind parent. In our eyes seeking citizenship for the children without the father’s consent is consistent with expelling his rights to make decisions as a father.

This is a common tactic of parents that abduct or retain their children to countries that are signatories to the Convention. They leave on the promised intention of a holiday and then drag out the return until they have established the habitual residence therefore making the application to the Hague by the left behind father irrelevant. What courts need to release that “anticipatory retention” commences long before the children have left the country. The abductor has a plan to integrate the children into a new environment and ensure she has support in the destination country. The abductor then lulls the left behind parent into a false sense of security that the children are merely travelling on a holiday.

By the time the children hop off the plane in the destination country the retention is not only anticipated but has now been executed. We welcome that Article 12 of the convention is not just being accepted at face value and that the concept of “anticipatory retention” is being challenged. We can only hope this sets a precedence to give other left behind parents a fighting chance of getting their children back.

May this also be a reminder that the Abduction Convention desperately needs to be reviewed? It does not work in its current format and if it is honestly there to act in the best interests of the child then there is a lot of work to do as currently it is failing!

]]>https://childabductionrecovery.wordpress.com/2018/02/15/the-hague-convention-cannot-be-invoked-article-12-tested-again/feed/0childabductionrecoveryinternationalEmbassy truths… this is not Hollywood peoplehttps://childabductionrecovery.wordpress.com/2018/01/25/embassy-truths-this-is-not-hollywood-people/
https://childabductionrecovery.wordpress.com/2018/01/25/embassy-truths-this-is-not-hollywood-people/#respondThu, 25 Jan 2018 12:46:12 +0000http://childabductionrecovery.wordpress.com/2018/01/25/embassy-truths-this-is-not-hollywood-people/Read More]]>When children are abducted by the other parent and taken overseas, it is terrifying and overwhelming for the left behind parent. In almost all cases the parent that is desperately seeking their child has no knowledge or contacts in the Abductors country and find it hard to know where to start.

They begin by contacting the local authorities in their home country and quickly realise that there is nothing that can be done. Usually the next step is contacting the Embassy in the abducting parent’s country. It comes as a shock to many parents that the Embassy cannot and will not assist in any way.

In the case of Michelle Littleton, her children were abducted to Lebanon 12 months ago and only now are US Senators are demanding the US Embassy in Lebanon provide some assistance whereas previously these please have fallen on deaf ears.

Lacey Plato has continually battled to receive support from the UK Embassy in Oman as they will not get involved in her attempt to recover her children who have been held there by their grandparents for over 5 years.

Sally Faulkner, despite the high publicity of the abduction of her children to Lebanon, still does not receive adequate support from the Australian Embassy with her request for a welfare check on her children evaded by the abducting parent and not followed up.

In our own experience in almost every case we have found the left behind parent has received no support from any Embassy or consular staff. In the case where we recovered Morgan from Laos, the British consulate in Laos bluntly told our client in our presence “The only way you are going to get your son out of this country is by alternative measures”, there was absolutely nothing they could or would do. Recently we have taken on a new case where a consulate staff in the abductors country have offered to supply passports but will not give any other help as they were concerned that their involvement may create a threat to the relations between the two countries.

That there is the key statement. Embassies are focused on nurturing the relationship of the country that they are based in and this always takes precedence over an abducted child. As long as IPCA is not universally recognised as a crime this will not change.

Yet the consulate is always the first port of call when a left behind parent starts to undertake efforts to recover their child from the abductors country. If they are lucky they may be supplied with a list of recommended lawyers for the country but that will be as far as the support will go.

Parents are at this point feeling isolated and desperate as there is a general misconception that an embassy will always support a home citizen in that foreign country, particularly children. This may happen in the movies where it is often depicted that an Embassy will come to you rescue but in the real world it is nothing like this! Parents need to understand and accept from the outset – they will not receive any of the help that they expect from consulate staff.

Embassies are too busy ensuring that their home country is perceived in a good light and that export and import economies between the two countries remain firm and prosperous. They are there to keep friendly relations between the two countries and provide token gestures to citizens of their home country in need. Children that have been abducted to that country are far down the list of priorities for an embassy.

Not long ago I was checking on our CARI search terms and found a delightful article by Jacquelin Magnay that continues to pop up. Titled “Chequered career of private investigator Adam Whittington”. Published on 14 April 2016, it was filled with lies and false information procured from inaccurate sources. You have to ask how this article even became published, well it all goes back to Lebanon.

In the early days of my detainment along with Sally Faulkner and the 60 minutes crew, we men were held in inhumane, barbaric conditions in an underground dungeon in Beirut Lebanon. No sunlight, no food and no clean water and no contact with the outside world except for sparse visits from lawyers and embassy officials. Within the first couple of days in the dungeon I was told that a visitor from the Embassy wanted to speak with me. I made my way to the steel door to speak to my visitor through the grate in the middle of the door.

My “Embassy Visitor” quickly announced herself as Jaquelin Magnay from Fairfax media in Australia. She told me she wanted to tell my side of the story. All I said to her was that my side of the story was simple, look at Colin Chapman and the reasons he set us up to be here. She told me that she was already aware of the situation with Colin Chapman and she was investigating it. I was furious that I was duped by a journalist thinking that I was actually receiving some news from the Embassy, my hopes were quashed the moment she announced herself. I called to the guards and asked them to remove her which they did.

Just a couple of days later she published the infamous article “Chequered career of private investigator Adam Whittington” in the Australian newspaper. The inaccuracies right from the start were evident. Firstly I am a Child recovery agent not a private investigator. She said I was a former Scotland Yard detective which I have never said I was. It all goes on to become offensive and defamatory from then on. Claims that I had narrowly escaped arrest in Peru were ridiculous, my passport puts that story to rest. The list goes on and I won’t bore you with the details but this was a far cry from the article she said she was going to write.

The source of this information was from a website, set up by my competitors on 7 April 2017, to capitalise on defaming me at my lowest point and when i was unable to defend myself. The website was full of fabricated lies and I was able to successfully have this removed after complaints to google. The contents of this website was malicious and it was this very website that was the source of Magnay’s article. Did she attempt to verify the contents of this website with my team at CARI – No she did not, Did she attempt to contact my lawyer to ask if the contents of her article were factual – no she did not!

I was never granted the opportunity to have a right of reply to the derogatory article and now almost 2 years later it remains floating in cyberspace. At the time many articles were around also containing the same content and since October 2016 I have successfully had over 25 articles removed due to being able to prove the contents were defamatory and false, yet the Australian Newspaper and Magnay refuse to take this one down or at the very least edit the contents and add my right of reply.

Magnay attempted to see me several times whilst I was in Lebanon and hounded my lawyer. In fact my last contact with her can only be described as cruel. On the day the indictment was handed down with the recommendation of the charges against us my lawyer headed up to Aley prison to explain it all to me and what would happen next. However Magnay beat him to it, getting to Aley first and getting access to me by telling the guards she was a family relative. Once I was sat across from her, she immediately told me of the indictment and asked for my comment. Again I told the guards she was a journalist and told her to leave. Having heard the news that way was damaging to my mental state at the time as the way she explained it I was going to be stuck there for 20 years. Her visit plunged me into the depths of despair and by the time my lawyer got to me I was a wreck.

Fast forward 18 months later, CARI – Child Abduction Recovery International is busier than ever with a wait list for jobs, Project Rescue Children, of which I am the Founder and CEO, is making a huge impact on trafficked children across the world and this article has become nothing more than an annoying piece of trash that is slowly fading away.

For Magnay I have to thank her for the suffering that she brought to me during my time in Lebanon as I have become well versed in the Journalistic code of ethics and as such PRC and CARI now rely on trusted media contacts only. Journalists have a job to do, that I appreciate, yet is it worth it to cause that much pain, hurt and suffering to their subject, as well as their subjects family and friends. Does it feel good to have your work in the public knowing that it is filled with lies and false information? A journalist must always have a duty of care to ensure that the facts they report are accurate and that the subject is given a right to reply – two things that this article is very much missing!

]]>https://childabductionrecovery.wordpress.com/2018/01/19/jacquelin-magnay-defamatory-article/feed/0childabductionrecoveryinternationaljacquelin_magnayuntitledvvvvcropped-mmmm.pngOman Parental Child Abductionhttps://childabductionrecovery.wordpress.com/2017/12/18/oman-parental-child-abduction/
https://childabductionrecovery.wordpress.com/2017/12/18/oman-parental-child-abduction/#respondMon, 18 Dec 2017 12:15:22 +0000http://childabductionrecovery.wordpress.com/?p=2852Read More]]>Oman is a country not regularly featured in child abduction recovery news but it is a country of concern. Located in the Middle East, Oman is not a signatory to the Hague Convention and left behind parents are encouraged to engage local attorneys. From our experience foreign nationals trying to recover their children from courts in countries like these don’t stand a chance.

The abduction of a child to Oman is NOT a crime in Oman unless there is an Omani court order regarding custody of the child or travel restrictions. Parental child abduction is, however, a criminal offence in Oman. If a parent or grandparent removes a child from the person who is entitled to custody according to an Omani judicial decision will be liable to a term of imprisonment from six months to three years, and a fine ranging from RO 10 to RO 500 (Omani Rial).

We are always asked by parents wondering if they should let their partner take their children to visit family. If the family are located in the Middle East we always reply no way. The legal system will always favour the Abductor and with countries like Oman, not being party to the Hague Convention, there will be nothing you can do.

One of the most high profile cases regarding Oman is the abduction of Aishah and Faris now aged 12 and 9, abducted 5 years ago from their English mother by their father to his family in Oman. In 5 years she has had little phone contact with her children but over time they have slowly been indoctrinated to believe their mother is the guilty party.

Lacey Plato, the children’s mother, has relentlessly exhausted all avenues in the English Courts. This has seen the father jailed for the abduction of the children and most recently jailed for 12 months for contempt of court. The judge ruled that the father can be released from jail at any time, on the condition he returns the children to England.

However this father is happy to sit out his second stint in jail instead of doing the right thing and reuniting these children with their mother. The father claims that his family have the children and he is controlled by his own father who refuses to return the children.

Lacey is a mother in her 30’s that after 5 years still has her children’s toys waiting for them and continues to fight every system she can. She still holds hope that one day she will bring her children home to the UK. Despite having the full support of the UK legal system her hands are tied.

We often see cases where extended families of the abductor aid and abet abduction but even we have to say this case is a first where we have seen the abductor jailed twice and yet his family continue to hide the children away, disregarding the relationship they have with their mother.

What we find a common thread is that not only Abductors regard their children with a sense of ownership but so do their families. Abducted children are often left in the care of the Abductors relatives and together the abducting family will take every step to keep them one step ahead of the law. They are well aware what they will get away with in their own country and will exploit that. They believe that they are entitled to the child and the left behind parent is disregarded like yesterday’s paper.

Lacey’s case in particular demonstrates the strength of the Abductor and their family. They have a determination to do whatever it takes to maintain ownership of the children. We use the word ownership as they do not consider the feelings of Lacey’s children, nor do they value to the bond between mother and child. Lacey’s case also demonstrates as most cases do, that the Hague Convention and or any other court system continues to fail parents time and time again to have illegally abducted children returned to their habitual residence.

Our thoughts are with Lacey and her children and we hold on to the hope that one day soon they will all be reunited.

]]>https://childabductionrecovery.wordpress.com/2017/12/18/oman-parental-child-abduction/feed/0childabductionrecoveryinternational1200px-Flag_of_Oman.svg42DF61E300000578-4750110-Lacey_Plato_centre_with_her_children_Aishah_left_and_Faris_right-a-165_150159394077942DF61DF00000578-0-image-a-150_1501593532518cropped-mmmm.pngThe forgotten victims of Parental Child Abductionshttps://childabductionrecovery.wordpress.com/2017/11/24/the-forgotten-victims-of-parental-child-abductions/
https://childabductionrecovery.wordpress.com/2017/11/24/the-forgotten-victims-of-parental-child-abductions/#commentsFri, 24 Nov 2017 09:29:28 +0000http://childabductionrecovery.wordpress.com/?p=2848Read More]]>Over the years we have been very vocal about the impact, of both domestic and international parental child abduction, on the children, the left behind parents and even the abductors but a recent gut wrenching email from a relative of a client thanking us for a recent recovery really made us think about the impact to the forgotten victims of IPCA and DPCA – the grandparents, the aunties, uncles, cousins and close family friends.

Quite often we find that children that have been abducted, not only from a loving parent, but also from a very close knit family. In some cases the extended family have helped to raise and care for the child to support the parent and in one moment an abductor snatches that whole family from a child.

When a child is abducted the family are thrown into a roller coaster emotions. There is the desperation to seek help, researching every avenue to try and get this child back into their loving fold. There is the helplessness that nothing works fast enough. Law enforcement won’t act without a court order. The court process can take months. The Hague Convention (if applicable) is another layer of uncertainty and another lengthy process. They feel a sense of protectiveness toward the left behind parent and always feel they have to explain and justify that the left behind parent is a good person.

There is the fear that they have no idea where the child is or whether the child is safe and in good health. They have to hold on to the hope that the abducting parent will care for the child as much as they did but due to the deceitful tactics used to abduct the child, having any faith in the abductor is not a source of comfort

Many families feel like they have been thrust into a sense of mourning. From one day they have a child that is a regular part of their lives to suddenly nothing. The abducted child leaves an empty hole in the family that cannot be filled, leaving a sense of loss and emptiness.

Families rally around the left behind parent and become a strong force to help the left behind parent find the strength to fight for the recovery of the child holding back their own emotions and sense of loss with a brave face but crumble once they are alone.

We sometimes take for granted how much the little people in our life are such a major influence in our family structures and our world ultimately evolves around them. They are a source of laughter, joy and hope for the future. We plan special events like birthdays and Christmases with them at the forefront of our minds. First days of schools, sporting events and other extra curricular achievements are a cause for a family celebration and suddenly nothing, the centre of your family’s universe is gone, disappeared without a moments warning.

We always say at CARI our highlight is always to watch the reunion between a parent and a child after a recovery and there has been occasion where we have seen the reunion with the extended family. In those moments you see a family unit come together, like a jigsaw puzzle that has just found the missing piece. The collective relief and sheer happiness you feel being witness to the reunion of a family unit makes everything we do all the more worthwhile.

So whilst our core business is recovering a child with the aid of a left behind parent, CARI appreciates the trauma that a left behind family face and works with the motivation of putting the fractured family unit back together. It takes a village to raise a child and the selfish actions of an abductor not only deprive their child of the other parent but also grandparents, aunties, uncles, cousins and friends and no child ever deserves this. .

*please note the use of stock images on this blog to protect the identities of our clients

]]>https://childabductionrecovery.wordpress.com/2017/11/24/the-forgotten-victims-of-parental-child-abductions/feed/1thumbnail_CARI Stock 1childabductionrecoveryinternationalthumbnail_CARI Stock 1thumbnail_people-children-child-happy-160946cropped-mmmm.pngA story ending with it doesn’t pay to be a liarhttps://childabductionrecovery.wordpress.com/2017/11/13/a-story-ending-with-it-doesnt-pay-to-be-a-liar/
https://childabductionrecovery.wordpress.com/2017/11/13/a-story-ending-with-it-doesnt-pay-to-be-a-liar/#respondMon, 13 Nov 2017 14:44:04 +0000http://childabductionrecovery.wordpress.com/?p=2825Read More]]>It seems the interest in frauds of the child recovery industry is a very popular subject based on the clients that are increasingly contacting us after being scammed by the same individuals and the search terms on our blog, two of the most popular is “a story that ends with it doesn’t pay to be a liar” and “the fraud squad“.

It still amazes us how easily desperate parents are conned out of a lot of money by these individuals and there is nothing to stop them. They continually change their MO with the latest, Mr Patrick John Desmond, taking money and then disappearing stating that he has had a heart attack to his victims.

We encourage parents to read these blogs as everything is factual and can be verified with evidence. The sooner this industry is regulated the sooner these scumbags will be unable to scam any more parents. We also know a few so called ‘child abduction advocates’ especially in the U.S who have supported these frauds.

We will not stay quiet until everyone of these scumbags are put away along with their colleague Peter Thomas Senese No wonder they continue to try and sabotage our recoveries just like Lebanon was….wasn’t it Colin Chapman.

We have and continue to update our CARI website. On our homepage you will see the current frauds named and shamed.

]]>https://childabductionrecovery.wordpress.com/2017/11/13/a-story-ending-with-it-doesnt-pay-to-be-a-liar/feed/0childabductionrecoveryinternationalimagecropped-mmmm.pngEgypt Parental Child Abductionhttps://childabductionrecovery.wordpress.com/2017/11/08/egypt-parental-child-abduction/
https://childabductionrecovery.wordpress.com/2017/11/08/egypt-parental-child-abduction/#respondWed, 08 Nov 2017 12:34:32 +0000http://childabductionrecovery.wordpress.com/?p=2804Read More]]>We have lost count how many times we have traveled to Egypt to attempt to locate children that have been abducted by a parent. We have conducted numerous recoveries in Egypt with current cases still pending and in our experience it doesn’t matter what court documents you have within the legal system, it all comes down to who you know.

The authorities will not budge unless they are bribed or you know someone high up, in Egypt money talks not the law. The inaction of the Egyptian Government and Police continues to frustrate us.

In fact we have met with the head of Interpol Egypt in Cairo and he has advised that there is nothing they can do even with a Interpol red notice arrest warrant as parental abduction is NOT a crime Egypt. Interpol have massive files on abducted children that remain stagnant on their desks as there is no cooperation from the local authorities. This was proven to us when in the Interpol office. They told us even if they contacted curtain Egyptian police districts, the local police in that area would not do anything because (again) it’s NOT a crime. So what the hell is the point….

As Egypt is not a signatory to the Hague Convention and never will be no matter what orders a left behind parent may have in their habitual country they are useless. The only option for a parent to retrieve a child through the legal system is to engage a family lawyer specialised in child abduction. Even this is not a guarantee and during your process with the Egyptian legal system you will be urged to pay bribes for absolutely everything. If you are lucky enough to connect with someone high up in the chain that can pull some strings that is your best chance in the Egyptian legal playing field. Also remember it’s Sharia Law that runs Egypt. We have also come across many many corrupt lawyers in Egypt.

This is why the enquiries for recoveries to Egypt never cease, there is really no other option for parents and CARI is constantly fielding enquiries from desperate parents. The USA has flagged Egypt as being no compliant and uncooperative with US/Egypt cases. Australia and Egypt have a Bi Lateral Agreement but this is only effective is both parents are prepared to mediate and believe us, 99.9% of Abductors will never sit down and mediate.

On our many trips to Egypt locating abducted children is not an easy task when you take into account the sparse geographical landscape and the ease to jump borders into Libya. Abductors have no hesitation crossing into war torn and ISIS controlled areas in Libya seeking protection without a single concern for the safety of their child. Children that are abducted into Egypt are often leading fugitive lifestyles, going off the radar and hiding into caves.

We know of only a handful cases where the Egyptian Government have intervened and successful recovered abducted children and returned them to their custodial parent and habitual residence and they have only been due to someone knowing someone. Embassies in Egypt are useless. We know of embassy officials in numerous cases who have approached the Egyptian government with little to nothing being done. Again the myth that Embassies will help you overseas is proven in cases of abduction in Egypt.

So what can we say about Egypt? If your child has already been abducted and you are aware your child is in Egypt do your research, engage an Egyptian lawyer who specialises in Child Abduction. Ask for their credentials and details of past cases. Ask them to disclose their success rates and forget whatever orders you may have in your home country as from our experience the Egyptians won’t care. And be very careful of sending money to lawyers until you are 100% sure they are the correct one.

I am also going to answer the question that we are asked at least once a week “Should I let my child go on a holiday to Egypt with their parent. Honestly the answer we are always going to give is a absolutely resounding No. Don’t let yourself be fooled by your ex or their families. In every case we have dealt with in Egypt the abductors family is always involved and behind it. The Egyptian grandparents will be taking care and raising your abducted children should you allow them to go to Egypt. Prevention is better than the cure and with all the countries we have traveled to and systems we have worked with, Egypt is by far one of the most difficult. Don’t take the risk, your children are too precious to be held hostage to an abducting parent and a corrupt country that always aids the abductor.

]]>https://childabductionrecovery.wordpress.com/2017/11/08/egypt-parental-child-abduction/feed/0childabductionrecoveryinternationalIMG_6239imagesX5KLO6KIegypt_terrorcropped-mmmm.pngNo more silence…Protect Children!https://childabductionrecovery.wordpress.com/2017/11/02/no-more-silence-protect-children/
https://childabductionrecovery.wordpress.com/2017/11/02/no-more-silence-protect-children/#respondThu, 02 Nov 2017 11:17:06 +0000http://childabductionrecovery.wordpress.com/?p=2779Read More]]>Let’s face it, no one is comfortable talking about the subject of child trafficking. Even our own team find it sickening to our stomachs that we deal with such a dirty underground of filthy grubs that gain sexual gratification from children.

Yet what we find is that as a society we are not ready to face the epidemic that this is! Child sex trafficking is not going to go away, no matter how hard you try to avoid thinking about it, it is only going to continue to grow and exploit more and more children annually.

We are often approached by parents who tell us their child was sent a “Dick Pic” or sent sexually explicit conversations via their social media channels. When we ask the parents for the conversations they always reply “oh we deleted the conversation and the whole app”. To a parent it is horrifying to think that your child has been exposed to this depravity and our instinct is to remove the danger and protect our child but what about the rest of the children online. The ones who don’t have parents that have any interest in their online activity or the ones that have been groomed so extensively they believe every word of their predator. Who is going to help them? That’s why we urge parents not to delete the account, instead send the log in details to us to gather intelligence. In instances of imminent danger we urge parents to go straight to the police, particularly if you child has disclosed their regular routine to the predator.

As adults we have a responsibility to protect every child where we can. We always say “If you see something, do something”. Deleting your child’s app may eliminate the danger from your child but what about the other 5+ children this predator is also grooming. How have we as a society decided to stick our heads in the sand and not face the real issues here.

Our message is simple, if your child has a device your child is at risk. It is how you as a parent manages that risk. PRC is devoted to educating every parent and child on the risk management of the online world. We spread awareness wherever we can in any way we can. One way we do this is to post on social media pages and groups where many parents are active. We feel that the more parents we can access and educate the more children that will be protected.

We recently attempted to post in a local Facebook group based in Sweden named “Akersberga aktuellt”. Like many online community groups they promote local posts about issues that are relevant to the local community – what could be more important than a safety tip for keeping children safe?

Our posts were deleted and we contacted one of the Administrators of the group. She replied and confirmed that the group was for “ People living in this area and for discussions regarding our community”when asked further how she could say that child safety was not a community issue she went on to say “ That is not a subject for public discussion”. It’s this type of stupid mentality by some adults that create communities living so far from reality.

This group has over 12,000 followers and is the leading community Facebook group for Akersberga, which is a locality dominated by young families. There is no other subject more fitting for public discussion but this shows the ignorance and the lack of care for the cause of child trafficking and the close correlation of this with online safety. As Administrators of community groups, we feel they have the perfect platform for raising awareness on issues that concern the community, safety and protection should always rank first especially over posts that highlight an abandoned pushbike and what flowers are currently blooming.

Everyone has a voice and everyone has the power to make a difference no matter how big or small the gesture. It’s time that we as a society acknowledge the hideous facts that people buy children for sex, groom children online for sex and are living in our communities under the detection of authorities. Who is living in your street?

This will continue to happen until we as a society collectively stand together and say no more. So what will you do for our children, our future – stay quiet or use whatever platform you have to stand up for their rights and their safety?

]]>https://childabductionrecovery.wordpress.com/2017/11/02/no-more-silence-protect-children/feed/0childabductionrecoveryinternational22228093_10155588194946427_6648479006977265003_n17426042_1682619338704838_5631847971369736496_ncropped-mmmm.pngPRC Logo jepg 1United States Parental Child Abductionhttps://childabductionrecovery.wordpress.com/2017/10/30/united-states-parental-child-abduction/
https://childabductionrecovery.wordpress.com/2017/10/30/united-states-parental-child-abduction/#respondMon, 30 Oct 2017 10:48:35 +0000http://childabductionrecovery.wordpress.com/?p=2765Read More]]>The United States of America are to be applauded for their efforts to stop IPCA but yet it still isn’t enough.

The USA takes a strong lead at preventing abductions with the Department of State enrolling 4,064 children in the Children’s Passport Issuance Alert Program in 2015. Over 1,560 enquiries were made in one year from parents, attorneys, support organizations and foreign governments seeking prevention information.

With the USA being a signatory to the Hague Convention they actively encourage non signatory countries to sign and enforce the treaty. Along with the creation of working groups and partnering with major airlines they play a very proactive role in stopping children becoming victim to IPCA.

The USA has now taken a new angle to tackle IPCA that is not focused on prevention. The focus is now firmly on the countries that refuses to cooperate and comply with USA court orders.

Legislation was introduced to Congress that will remove tariff benefits for countries found to be non-compliant in returning American children abducted and taken to another country by one parent without the consent of the other.

The “Bindu Phillips and Devon Davenport International Child Abduction Return Act of 2017” is named after two parents whose children were abducted to India and Brazil respectively and they have not been handed back to the custodial parent despite US court orders.

This draft legislation, if passed, will impose economic impact to countries that violate US court orders to return children.

In 2016 639 American Children were abducted from the USA by one parent in direct violation of valid US court orders. These abductions were also in contravention of the Hague Convention.

The rate of return of children that have been abducted from the USA is a paltry 16 per cent. Abductors are taking full advantage of their chosen countries inability to cooperate with the US Government and noncompliance of the valid court orders held in the USA.

For countries such as India this could have a significant impact to their economy. At CARI alone, we are blown away with the amount of India/USA enquiries we regularly receive. India has a long history of indifference and noncompliance for any matters regarding IPCA. India refuse to even use the term “Abduction” when discussing IPCA.

Will this measure be enough for non-compliant countries to stand up and take notice?Will these countries respect the habitual residence and custodial parent of the child?

The prevention measure may be helping but with over 600 new cases of IPCA in a year it’s not enough. We know from experience that Abductors do not make a rash decision to take their child to another country. It is a long calculated process, they have researched and they have prepared. They know how to exploit the system in their chosen country so that it works to their advantage.

The Hague Convention, as we have stated many times, has its faults and Abductors are well versed on how to capitalise on the many loopholes of the convention. There are only two ways that a child will ever be returned from a country.

1. The parents come to an agreement and the child is returned home – extremely rare

2. Both countries have a strong partnership and use the full extent of their resources to locate and return the child – again extremely rare

The steps the USA are taking with this proposed legislation is promising but it won’t be enough. Until every single country gets on board, they are all on the same page of the seriousness of IPCA and they are throw all resources into returning the child it won’t change.

That’s why parents turn to us, no one else – a last resort but the most effective! Just ask over 200 clients we have recovered children for.

CARI will continue to bring honest and straight forward blogs on other countries. At CARI we tell you the reality not some pre-script blog from a government or one of their NGO’s.

]]>https://childabductionrecovery.wordpress.com/2017/10/30/united-states-parental-child-abduction/feed/0childabductionrecoveryinternationalamerican-flag-desktop-background-29cropped-mmmm.pngGreece Parental Child Abductionhttps://childabductionrecovery.wordpress.com/2017/10/22/greece-parental-child-abduction/
https://childabductionrecovery.wordpress.com/2017/10/22/greece-parental-child-abduction/#respondSun, 22 Oct 2017 14:28:37 +0000http://childabductionrecovery.wordpress.com/?p=2696Read More]]>As Greece is a favorite holiday destination for so many foreigners there will always be international relationships formed with Greek citizens which in turn will lead to parental abductions.

2017 Annual Report on International Child Abduction. (source US State Department)

“Central Authority: The United States and the Greek Central Authority have a strong and productive relationship that facilitates the implementation of the Convention. There were no new cases filed with the FCA in 2016, nor were there any cases on file with the FCA during the year. Additionally, there were no cases that were unresolved for more than 12 months.”

Above is a statement from the US State Department relating to Greece. We currently have 2 cases on our books, and several more enquiries, relating to the US and Greece abductions. Is this a case of victim parents now avoiding reporting their children being abducted to the Central Authority? Is there a distrust in the ability of the Central Authority to act and with a sense of urgency? As time goes on and with more and more cases occuring there is no confidence in the system any longer prompting a need for a drastic change in order to help abducted children and their left behind parent.

Parents who abduct children and flee to Greece know how to take full advantage of the Family Law System there and work it to their favour. Take the case Of Michael Beshara, whose two children were taken to Greece by his ex wife to visit a “dying uncle”. Before the end of their scheduled stay, the ex wife wrote to Michael saying they would not be returning for an extra 10 weeks. So the clock is ticking and by the time Michael is advised that his children will not be coming home more than three months has passed. Following all the right channels through the Central Authority and lodging an application for the Hague Convention, Michael did not anticipate the lengthy wait for his hearing in the Greek Courts. By the time his application was heard, his ex wife came in with the ultimate defence of all abductors – Article 12 of the Hague Convention. As the process had dragged on for over 12 months her claim that as the children resided in Greece for more than 12 months it was now their habitual residence – DESPITE the fact that they had been living in Australia for the first 10 + years of their life. The judge accepted Greece as the habitual residence and Michael was forced to return home alone. Time and time again judges accept this Article 12 as a defence not comprehending that it is their overworked systems that are technically aiding and abetting the Abductors.

Victim parents can not rely on The Hague Convention to have their children returned even if both countries are signatures to the Hague and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

CARI knows first hand that fighting through the Greek family courts is a tough, expensive and very timely obstacle. Greek courts are notorious for ‘taking care of their own’ in cases of IPCA. Unfortunately this is a common theme in many many countries.

Again as we always do, advise you to get yourself an experienced lawyer. Please ask the lawyer for proof of their experience if they say they are experts in IPCA cases. So many lawyer will say they are but in fact they are not experienced at all dealing with International Parental Child Abduction cases.